steve Davidson wrote:E2B, thanks for that follow up post and the editing to the former post. This was my first exposure to Buhlman, and even though i really liked his talk, it did create in me some fear and trepidation about not being ready for the afterlife, so that was very perceptive of you to comment on that without anyone mentioning it, that you felt that too

Well, to be honest, my body's own intuitive guide towards interpreting information is getting stronger and stronger. But, I don't fully trust it yet. I've been following William Buhlman for a few years now. I own his CD set called "How to have an out of body experience". I have followed his newsletter and read one of his books. The man is THE authority on OBE's if you want to learn anything. There is a lot of fear out there about having an out of body experience from other teachers and sources. William Buhlman dispells ALL of those fears and teaches that OBE's are completely safe and natural. If you want to have an OBE, there is nothing for you to fear. NOTHING. Willie B is the go to Source for all of your information on the ins and outs. He understands fluently the manifestation process and how the LOA works as well.

He focused so strongly on that if we think of ourselves as a male or female human form, we will only make it to a place close to earth with most of our relatives there and still be earthbound sort of. That being repeated over and over instilled some fear in me, not love.

Yes, because OBE's while incredible (I did have one spontaneous OBE and have had numerous lucid dreams including one three nights ago), in my estimation are not the ultimate authority on what really happens after death. There is too much fear in the spiritual community on this subject matter by very well intentioned people in my estimation.

NDEs are talking about love, not fear. So i was a little confused by all of this. And i also never had a OBE nor NDE. So anything i know about the afterlife is from reading about it and intuition. He made some great points and seems very sincere, so in the end i am glad i listened to it and gained something from it, in fact, a little more urgency to know what really happens.

The way I see it is that whatever you focus on will grow. So, do you want to focus on a perspective of "I need to prepare for death"? Or do you want to focus on a perspective of "What can bring me the most love in THIS moment and in THIS moment, etc? What would be the purpose of our life here if it were just a preparation for 'something else'? That's something I would ask myself. I bought into that idea for a while. I even posted about it on this very forum when I used to post here regularly which I no longer do. It didn't feel right to me. Simple as that. What is the most loving perspective that would serve me? That's what I kept asking myself. Don't get me wrong. Buhlman is not the only person by any stretch who has proposed this idea. I just think it misses the mark greatly in a more expansive context that does away with any kind of competition in believing we have to evolve to some higher status. It's these kinds of ideas which keep people trapped on a hamster wheel of not feeling they are good enough right now. There IS a purpose to us being here in my estimation, but it has nothing to do with Earth being a training ground for death and beyond. My view is completely in the opposite direction. Instead of Earth being a training ground for higher development......

Consider instead that Earth is a creative playground, not a class room. You are here out of your own choice for the perspective that human life offers. You are an artist....yet a curious one who wants to explore a terrain that is foreign to him. You want the understanding of what it is like to be a limited, separate being and what that perspective of limitation causes you to then become. In other words, consider Light is all there is. In order for Light to actually have a true experience of Light, Light would first have to experience itself as something NOT Light.....aka.....Darkness. The experience of darkness gives off a greater appreciation of the Light that you are. So, you intentionally will take on beliefs in childhood which contradict your true nature and THAT will create your reality from a very limited perspective. It is that limited perspective which will eventually cause some sort of drive or desire in you to then experience who you really are. Often suffering is the catalyst. When you awake from the dream of who you "think you are", you then realize you have always had a choice to create who you WANT to be. Each perspective offers infinite expansion to the Greater Part of you that never leaves the Spirit world. There is nothing and I repeat NOTHING you need be, do or have here in this life that will affect who you truly are. Yes, like Buhlman says, our beliefs absolutely are the creative tool for our reality, and what you believe, yes, will be created during the transition experience at death, but there is nothing you need to do to "prepare". Preparation is a survival term.

Consider only taking action in your life when you feel inspired to do so. Trying to prepare for death is a fear based motive. So, let yourself off the hook and relax. Let go of needing to do anything and start taking action from a place of 'who you really are'. In other words, don't try to create your reality from any place that feels like you 'need' to do anything, but, instead, do so from a place where you do NOT need it to happen. If you want to explore OBE's, DO IT. But, ONLY do it because of the fun of doing it and because it inspires you and you're curious as to what might happen. If you feel any pressure to do it for any other reason then let it go and focus on something else instead.

I'm going to share a quote here from a channeled entity called "Mary" that I have found incredibly helpful to me. I hope you find it helpful too. I offer this with love to you.

"I greet you all today and I would like to have you share in the joy and peace that is available for you and that belongs to the very essence of who you are. You are not here to suffer, to struggle and merely survive. You are here on earth to have joy, to be who you are and experience the miracle of that. You are beautiful as you are. Nothing needs to be changed or improved. All is well. Let it get through to you.
The essence of creation is joy. God did not create you for a grave and weighty purpose. She created you out of joy and a zest for exploration. She wanted to find out about life through you. You are all the expression of God’s love and creative joy, and that’s why you are allowed to experience that, every moment of the day. I invite you to reconnect to this original flow of energy, God’s joy of creation, which pours through each and every one of you.
You tend to make life too heavy and serious.

Imagine that you are not here to achieve a goal, but simply to be yourself, including the parts of you that feel dark, doubtful or stuck. Yes, those parts are welcome as well, they are part of this experience, the complete experience of duality in all of its aspects.
Trust that it leads up to something beautiful, something magical, to a new world. You are ever moving and transforming yourselves. There is no fixed purpose, no final destination. You are constantly on the road. Now enjoy being on the road, enjoy the changing currents of life, and such a heavy burden will be lifted from you.

I ask you to go back with me in time, to the moment before you were born on earth in this body. Do not doubt whether this is possible, just travel along in your imagination. It does not matter if you think you make it all up. Trust yourself and allow yourself to feel how once upon a time, you were free of the body. You were independent of the physical form, you felt unlimited and anything was possible. Life was magical. From this dimension of great freedom, you felt a pull coming from earth. Your attention was drawn, of all places, to this tiny planet with such grand potentials; potentials of both light and darkness, love and fear. You felt a pull. You wondered about the nature of reality there and you sensed you had something to do with it. You felt there was something there that you wanted to experience.

As a free spirit, you decided to take the plunge and incarnate on earth. Feel how even now, having gone through so many experiences on earth, there still is that original sense of interest, wonderment and attraction you once had. Feel how special it is that you are here now, that your consciousness has narrowed itself down to fit into an earthly body, perceiving reality through physical senses like eye, ear and touch. This particular way of perceiving reality is not the natural one; your original perspective is much wider and less limited. Yet you chose this limitation, because something incredibly valuable was to be found in there.

You are here on earth to express the freedom and magic of the spiritual realms you come from. You are here to bring it into form and matter and make it available for experience to both yourself and others. Yes, you are carriers of light, where light stands for freedom, ease and joy. And you have been on earth before, with the same desire and impetus to kindle the light of creation here and spread joy and insight. Allow yourself to feel it again. Know who you are. You need not be or do anything special here, you don’t have to achieve anything except to remember who you are and allow joy to fill you again. That is your job: to get back to your original state of wonder and joy amidst energies which seem to point in a wholly different direction.

You have been put under pressure. The reality of earth, the way people think, the beliefs of society can weigh heavily on you and soak you in forgetfulness for a while. Remember, you are divinity in the flesh. Light is pouring through you right now, through your hands, through your eyes, feel it. It has never left you, but all of you have been told at some point of your life that this light cannot flow freely into the open. You believe you have to hide it and keep it inside, for fear of being “different”. The constraint to be normal, getting locked into what other people might think of you, that’s probably the worst prison on earth. It’s not being in the body that limits you so. The true limitation comes from allowing in the many heavy, fearful beliefs of society and have them diminish your divine radiance.

My wish is to show you a way out of there, and the key is: dare to receive joy again in your life, feel that it is your birthright! It is simply who you are. You are the joy of God made manifest. And to be so, you need not have achieved anything, in the worldly sense of the word. You only need to be one with who you are. You need to feel that you are fine as you are here and now. There is nothing you fall short of, there is nothing lacking. Embrace the totality of who you are now, your fears, emotional blockages, and yet, at the same time, the deep sense of wonder and vitality at the bottom of your being. Life itself flows through you and wishes to impart on you its many miraculous gifts. You have undertaken the journey of incarnation in this body, in this society, in this material dimension. That is enough. By that, you already have shown your great courage and faith. Now trust that you are allowed to receive everything you need in your life. Feel the pure joy of being in this moment. Let yourself relax into it.

Imagine that from now on, there is nothing you “must do” in your life. If you would really grant yourself that freedom, your life would consistently flow smooth and easy. I understand that this runs counter to much that you have been told by your parents, teachers, employers, etcetera. Society imparts on you that you have to work hard and diligently to develop the necessary skills and abilities to cope with reality. It tells you to keep small and focus on what is possible rather than on what you dream and hope for. Not only society tells you this, even a lot of spiritual teachings have a rather stern and disciplinary outlook on how to achieve enlightenment.

Imagine that you release the very idea of goals and achievements. Imagine saying to yourself: I am as I am, and I am completely okay as I am. What liberation! If you can allow yourself to be this relaxed, things will start to flow in your life, and you will see that exactly the opposite happens from what society tells you to expect. Things will start to happen for you without having to work hard for it. If you can be at one with yourself and accept things as they are, you will invite a flow of peace which will bring miracles into your life. By accepting yourself as you are, you say “yes” to life, to being here on earth, and you allow yourself to receive anything you want simply because you are who you are, an indelible part of God, cherished and loved unconditionally.

If you find that peace in your heart, and let go of your tense and high strung expectations, then you allow the magic of life to take care of you. You surrender yourself to her flow and rhythm. I say to you, to start finding fulfilment in your life, to start finding the right job, the right relationship or the right house to live in, start by allowing yourself to experience joy again. The simply joy of being, the joy of being you. Spirituality is all about simplicity and ease. It’s about feeling like a child can feel, not thinking of tomorrow, but just enjoying the present and doing whatever it feels like.

I know you believe that this is not possible anymore for an adult. That is such a tragedy. There is such sadness in the fact that you have felt obliged to relinquish the most spontaneous and carefree part of you. Reach out your hand to the child within, that has saved your spontaneity for you. Deep within, it is still there, the child that wants to play and enjoy itself, the child that wants to explore life and trusts that all will be well. This child knows that earth is a safe place for you to express yourself. Feel it and let it speak to you again. Perhaps it wants to give a message to you right now. If you do not feel anything yet, that’s fine too. What matters is that you are willing to reach out to that child, that you say yes to the original flow of spontaneity within, to your soul’s inspiration. You are filled to the brim with notions that this is not possible or desirable, that you have to turn outwards rather than inwards to find guidance in your life. But it is not so. Life is to be lived according to other tenets.

True creative power, truly manifesting positive creations in your life, always happens from a state of simplicity and ease. It is precisely when you feel totally relaxed and divinely careless about things, not forcing yourself to do or be anything, that you attract the most positive changes in your life. If you would simply cherish your dreams and desires, and then let go, and have things run their own course, your trust will draw them to you. You will not even wait for them to happen, as you will be much to busy enjoying yourself in the present. Life is exquisitely simple.

We are with you and we understand very well what you are going through. We ask you to trust this message and have faith in the kindness of life and the joy that flows through every living being. Take a look at nature. The animals, trees and flowers are all inherently geared towards the expression of beauty and harmony. They do not doubt themselves. They value themselves in a perfectly natural and peaceful way. Connect to that natural energy of validation and know that you are held within that same web of life. You are safe. God is right here with you, and will never leave your side. Dare to entrust yourself to the magic of life, which is nothing but the divine flow of your own soul, and enJOY!"

E2B, Thank you for taking the time to respond as you did and to share that beautiful piece by Mary. You have helped me to see this clearer and to become balanced again, not coming from fear regarding the afterlife and preparation for it. Buhlman still makes many great and valid points, and i might check out his books about OBEs at some point in time, but in the now, i can relax and not be so stressed about what happens when i die. All will be well, Tolle says too i think. Thanks again and i will reread this a few times if i start to have doubts again or get sucked back into fear.

steve Davidson wrote:E2B, Thank you for taking the time to respond as you did and to share that beautiful piece by Mary. You have helped me to see this clearer and to become balanced again, not coming from fear regarding the afterlife and preparation for it. Buhlman still makes many great and valid points, and i might check out his books about OBEs at some point in time, but in the now, i can relax and not be so stressed about what happens when i die. All will be well, Tolle says too i think. Thanks again and i will reread this a few times if i start to have doubts again or get sucked back into fear.

Absolutely. William Buhlman is a gold mine of resources and WW is the one who initially introduced me to a lot of this stuff, so if you want more insight, check out WW's posts, and look up more info on William Buhlman. But, as far as differentiating "meaning' and 'purpose', these are the areas I find are very nebulous with many different teachers, teachings, researchers, etc. I might really enjoy the premise of many's work, but I find myself more and more standing in my own space on my views on reality. The only reason why, is based on my own experiences. Am I correct? Who's to say? I can only say what feels more right to me intuitively. I've spent most of my life relying on others for view points, because of my own insecurities. So, I'm shifting more and more away from that into a trusting in my own heart. I would advise the same for you. For others, though, contrasting perspectives feel more right to them. So, I say, look into all of it, and try to determine what feels more right to you for only you.

Enlightened2B wrote:I find myself more and more standing in my own space on my views on reality. The only reason why, is based on my own experiences. Am I correct? Who's to say? I can only say what feels more right to me intuitively. I've spent most of my life relying on others for view points, because of my own insecurities. So, I'm shifting more and more away from that into a trusting in my own heart.

Don't ya just love the feelings of freedom it brings to rely on our own inner guidance and how feeling our way is the absolute best path to truth and clarity.

And unless one chooses to define meaning and purpose in the same way, there is a clear distinction that can be made and is quite helpful in a practicing approach to life. Meaning, by and large, is an applied standard. It is more arbitrary and more related to emotional conditions than is the larger context of purpose. Now we can take a smaller view of purpose and confine it to our human perspective. "My purpose is to help others, etc", and it can be more akin to meaning.

But if we're talking about 'Life' purpose then the larger view is more appropriate. That purpose is more on the order of the evolution of consciousness and being. That purpose is inclusive of all our life experiences, regardless of appearance, and their contributions to the whole of Life itself.